The House of Representatives Committee on Public Petitions has summoned Adewale Adeniyi, the Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), following allegations that some officers have refused to retire after reaching the mandatory retirement age.
The Obasi-Pherson Help Foundation, a civil society organization (CSO), submitted a petition to the House, claiming that several officers, including those at the ranks of comptroller and assistant comptroller, are overdue for retirement but have not left service.
In a statement released on Wednesday, February 12, Mike Etaba, chairman of the House Committee on Public Petitions, announced that Adeniyi must appear before the committee next Tuesday to explain why some personnel have failed to retire as required by civil service rules.
“Nigerians deserve to know the truth, and only the CG can clarify this matter,” the statement reads. “We are elected to serve the people, and ensuring that government agencies operate effectively is part of our responsibility. In a time when many young Nigerians are seeking employment, it is wrong for older personnel who are due for retirement to refuse to step down. That said, we are not taking sides. Each case will be treated on its merits to ensure justice is served.”
The committee also threatened to issue an arrest warrant for Abisoye Coker-Odusote, the Director-General of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), over an alleged violation of a software development license agreement with Truid Limited.
In a petition, E.R. Opara, counsel for Truid Limited, claimed the agreement stipulated that the company would fund, develop, and deploy a tokenization system without financial contribution from NIMC. In exchange, Truid would recover its investment through service provider patronage, with proceeds shared based on a prearranged ratio. The agreement was meant to last 10 years, beginning in 2021, when the software was deployed. Opara alleged that since Coker-Odusote’s appointment by President Bola Tinubu, she has attempted to terminate the agreement.
Etaba said the committee would issue an arrest warrant for Coker-Odusote if she fails to appear before the panel.
“If she fails to attend the next hearing, we will have no choice but to request that the inspector-general of police bring her in,” the lawmaker said. “How can a government official treat a constituted authority with such disrespect? We can no longer tolerate this behavior.”
The committee is responsible for handling petitions referred to it by the House of Representatives.
